222 dead and hundreds injured as Tsunami hit Indonesia (Updated)

UPDATED – A tsunami killed at least 222 people and injured hundreds on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra following an underwater landslide believed caused by the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano, officials and media said on Sunday..

The BBC reports that the country’s disaster management agency says hundreds of buildings were damaged by Saturday’s tsunami.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of public relations at Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency, tweeted on his verified account that 430 houses and nine hotels were heavily damaged, indicating the tsunami hit residential and tourist areas.

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The strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra, connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean.

“The cause of the tsunami is still being investigated. It was possibly caused by underwater landslides due to eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau and tidal waves due to the full moon.

The Independent suggests that the wave is thought to have been caused by underwater landslides following an eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, also known as “Child of Krakatoa”.

Hundreds of people were also injured by the tsunami, which was exacerbated by an abnormally high tide.

It comes after an Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, killed 226,000 people, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.